Cotton cleaning apparatus



Mm. m WW W. A. SCHUG COTTON CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l F/g..2. U

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43 Wiley A. Schu INI' NTOR.

mm. EU, WM W. AJ-GHUG A W COTTON CLEANING APFARATUS Filed May 10, l-948 2"Sheecs-Sheec I? N /9 Q r k 35 f I l3 0 V M 20 Y WW A Emmy INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 20, 1949' ilNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE COTTON CLEANING APPARATUS Wiley A. Schug, Paragould, Ark.

Application May 10, 1948, Serial No. 26,132

Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in cotton cleaning apparatus of the air blast, centrifugal, type.

The primary object of the invention is to provide apparatus of simple, practical construction adapted to be used on cotton picking or other machines in the field or as separate apparatus in a mill, factory or the like, the apparatus being especially designed to be supplied with picked cotton by a pressure supply pipe, and to quickly and thoroughly clean and fluff the picked cotton and discharge the same into a storage bin or the like.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character and for the purpose above set forth which is inexpensive to manufacture and install, will not add materially to the weight of cotton picking or other machines if used thereon, is easy to maintain clean, especially of cotton lint, and requires a minimum of servicing.

Other and subordinate objects, within the purview of my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved cotton cleaning apparatus in the preferred embodiment thereof illustrating the same mounted on the storage bin shown fragmentarily;

Figure 2 is a view in plan;

Figure 3 is a View in longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view in rear end elevation;

Figure 5 is a View in transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, my improved cotton cleaning apparatus, as shown, comprises, as its basic component, a foraminous cylinder I rotatably mounted, as presently de scribed, and formed of screening 2 suitably attached to a skeleton frame comprising annular end members 3, d, longitudinal bars 5 connecting said members, and a spider 6 at the same end of the cylinder I as the annular member 3 and embodying a hub I in the axis of said cylinder formed with a socket B. The spider 6 is covered by the screening 2 to screen one end of the cylinder I, hereinafter designated the rear end 9 which is screened for a reason presently clear. The opposite, front end of the cylinder I, and which is designated II) is open for a purpose to be explained. The cylinder l is enclosed by a rectangular skeleton frame II.

The frame II comprises rectangular front and rear ends I2, I3, longitudinal corner bars I 4, a cross-bar I6 bracing the rear end I3 with upper diagonal bars l'I further bracing said end, :all of the components of said frame being preferably formed of angle bars, and said frame being completely open at its front end I2.

For rotatably mounting the cylinder I, grooved rollers I8 are provided at the front end IZ of said frame I I, in ninety degree angular relation, and in which the end annular member 6 of said cylinder I is rotatably fitted, said rollers I8 being mounted in bracket arms I9 suitably secured to the longitudinal corner bars I4 of the frame II. Thus, the front end IU of the cylinder I is rotatably supported and said cylinder is confined against endwise play. The rear end 9 of the cylinder I is rotatably supported by a driven shaft 20 suitably fixed at one end in the socket 8 with its other end journalled outwardly of the rear end I3 of the frame II in a bearing structure designated generally by the numeral 2|. The bearing structure 2I may take various forms but, preferably, as shown, comprises a pair of side-by-side, laterally spaced bearing forks 22 supported by a pair of legs 23 diverging downwardly to the lower corners of the frame I I and suitably fixed thereto, said forks 22 and legs 23 being preferably formed of angle bars. Front and rear bearing plates 24, 25 and a bottom bearing plate 26, connect the bearing forks 22, the shaft 20 being journalled in the front and rear bearing plates 24, 25.

The described frame II is supported by suitable legs 21 over the top of an open top storage bin 28 which may or may not be that of a suction cotton picking machine (not shown), and so that said frame inclines longitudinally downwardly and forwardly to similarly position the cylinder I for gravity discharge of cotton out of the open front end It of said cylinder into said bin.

The cylinder I is designed to be rotated from a suitable power plant, not shown, by means of a suitably connected upright shaft 29 having a uni versal joint connection 30 with the stub shaft 32 of a bevel gear 33, the stub shaft 32 being suitably journalled in the bottom plate 26 and the bevel gear 33 meshing with a bevel gear 34 fast on the driven shaft 20 between the front and rear bearing plates 24, 25. The power plant may be that of a cotton picking machine if the apparatus is the cotton, and means to direct jets of air through said rear end at the bottom of the cylinder to prevent clogging of said rear end.

3. Apparatus for cleaning cotton comprising a cylinder of mesh material for receiving cotton to be cleansed and having a screened rear end and an open front end, means to mount said cylinder for rotation about its axis in a horizontally inclined position with its open end lowermost for gravity discharge of cleaned cotton out of said end, an air pressure pipe opening into the front end of the cylinder at the top and in the vertical center of said end for blowing cotton to be cleansed into the top of the cylinder against said rear end to separate dirt and trash from the cotton and blow the same out of said rear end whereby the cotton is subjected to a first stage of cleaning, means to rotate said cylinder whereby revolving motion in the same direction is imparted to cotton in the cylinder, and means for directing jets of air through said cylinder crosswise thereof from opposite sides of the same to further separate dust and dirt from the cotton, the last mentioned means comprising air pressure manifold pipes extending alongside opposite sides of the cylinder with air jet nipples spaced along the same.

4. Apparatus for cleaning cotton comprising a cylinder of mesh material for receiving cotton to be cleansed and having a screened rear end and an open front end, means to mount said cylinder for rotation about its axis in a. horizontally inclined position with its open end lowermost for gravity discharge of cleaned cotton out of said end, an air pressure pipe opening into the front end of the cylinder at the top and in the vertical center of said end for blowing cotton to be cleansed into the top of the cylinder against said rear end to separate dirt and trash from the cotton and blow the same out of said rear end wherei by the cotton is subjected t a first stage of cleaning, means to rotate said cylinder whereby revolving motion in the same direction is imparted to cotton in the cylinder, means for directing jets of air through said cylinder crosswise thereof from opposite sides of the same 6130 further separate dust and dirt from the cotton, the last mentioned means comprising air pressure manifold pipes extending alongside opposite sides of the cylinder with air jet nipples spaced along the same, and an air pressure pipe for supplying said manifold pipes and supporting the same.

5. Apparatus for cleaning cotton comprising a cylinder of mesh material for receiving cotton to be cleansed and having a screened rear end and an open vfront end, means to mount said cylinder for rotation about its axis in 1a horizontally inclined position with its open end lowermost for gravity discharge of cleaned cotton out of said end, an air pressure pipe opening into the front end of the cylinder at the top and in the vertical center of said end for blowing cotton to be cleansed into the top of the cylinder against said rear end to separate dirt and trash from the cotton and blow the same out of said rear end whereby the cotton is subjected to a first stage of cleaning, means :to rotate said cylinder whereby revolving motion in the same direction is imparted to cotton in the cylinder, and means for directing jets of air through said cylinder crosswise thereof from opposite sides of the same to further separate dust and dirt from the cotton, said means directing the jets through said cylinder below the axis thereof on one side and above said axis on the other side.

WILEY A. SCHUG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,809,586 Evans June 9, 1931 1,964,259 Green June 26, 1934 2,160,253 Rylander May 30, 1939 2,421,477 Blewett June 3, 1947 

